Educational personnel range from teachers and professors, to educational assistants, secretaries, caretakers and cafeteria staff, psychologists, social workers and hall monitors. Workplace problems occur in educational settings, just as they do elsewhere. Educational personnel might encounter problems with their bosses, co-workers, students and parents.

Understand the Context

Most jurisdictions have child protection acts that must be adhered to. If a student or parent makes an accusation against a school employee, accusing her of serious inappropriate behavior, the administration might be bound by law to suspend the employee with pay during the investigation. Understanding this protocol might help the employee realize that this does not necessarily mean her guilt is assumed.

Legal Rights

It's important for a school employee who is facing serious charges or disciplinary action to know his legal rights. Teachers and support staff usually belong to unions that have local reps in the school to help. If the administrators did not involve the union, it is in the best interest of the employee to do so as soon as possible.

Be Discrete

Especially when the problem is a minor one with a co-worker, it's usually a good idea for the employee to be discrete and avoid gossiping to the students or other staff members about the problem. This can help avoid further embarrassment.

Support from Colleagues

Consulting colleagues can be helpful if they have been through similar experiences. They might be be able to provide valuable information, as well as moral support.

Support from Students

If a teacher is facing termination by an unreasonable administrator, it could be useful to have students and parents rally support in the teacher's favor. A petition by parents might cause the administrator to reconsider the dismissal.

Appeal to Fairness

Educational institutions promote the notion of fairness and due process. When an employee feels unfairly treated by an administrator, meeting with her and rationally pointing out the unfairness of the situation, as well as appealing to her moral sense of doing what is right, might help to get her to reconsider.

Support from the Media

For serious unsubstantiated allegations that lead to termination of employment, the employee might decide to contact the media for support. Although they are unlikely to intervene if the administrators appear to have just cause, they might choose to publicize the situation if they believe the dismissal was unfounded. Turning to the media can be a two-edged sword, consider carefully before doing it.

Respond to Documentation

Most school administrators carefully record all infractions by their staff members. Employees should respond in writing to all allegations, expressing their point of view. The employees' statements will be filed together with the administrators' statements.

Know When to Take Action

Never ignore small problems if they have the potential to grow into large ones. Don't postpone confronting a colleague who is making trouble for you. For example, if students report that their eleventh grade math teacher is blaming you for not preparing them properly in grade ten, you should immediately speak with that teacher.

Objective Assessment

When an educational employee is confronted by his administrators and warned about unacceptable behavior, it's beneficial for her to take an honest inward look to determine whether the demand for behavior change is justified. For example, if the employee's repeated absence at staff meetings has been noted, rather than becoming defensive and denying the charge, she may realize that she has indeed missed several meetings and must rearrange her personal schedule to accommodate this requirement of her employment.

About the Author

Freddie Silver started writing newsletters for the Toronto District School Board in 1997. Her areas of expertise include staff management and professional development. She holds a master's degree in psychology from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing her PhD at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, focusing on emotions and professional relationships.